British Comic Shop Releases (8th June 2015) – 2000AD, Tank Girl and a Death Sentence that’s a must!

Here’s our guide to new comics and graphic on sale in British comic shops today (Wednesday 8th June 2015), complementing our monthly list of new British graphic novels and comic collections (June 2015 list here).

New Readers: Jump-on 2000AD this week! Three new stories start in Prog 1934 – an all-new Judge Dredd thriller, “Blood Diamonds” by Michael Carroll and Colin MacNeil, Absalom makes a welcome return in “Under A False Flag” by Gordon Rennie and Tiernen Trevallion; and Ian Edginton and D’Israeli, the creative team behind Stickleback, Scarlet Traces and Leviathan are back with a brand new, double-length Thrill: “Helium”.

Also, new(-ish!) Sláine art droid, Simon Davis really gets to strut his stuff on current series, “Primordial” – written by Pat Mills, of course – as we see his version of the Celtic warrior’s warp spasm, as shown on this week’s mind-blowing cover. Zarjaz!

Also out today: after a break of 20 years, artist extraordinaire Jamie Hewlett (GORILLAZ) is leaping back on the​ ​Tank Girl wagon, re-teaming with series co-creator Alan Martin to bring you a whole new take on the foul-mouthed, gun toting, swill-swigging hellion.

And that’s not all Titan Comics has to offer – because today also sees the launch of Death Sentence: London, the eagerly-anticipated sequel to the deservedly-acclaimed Death Sentence, this new series the work of Montynero and Martin Simmonds. The first issue picks up right where the first series ended and is an action-packed page turner from start to finish – Simmonds is the perfect choice on art, delivering some truly stunning scenes as the terrors unleashed by the G-Plus just get even weirder! Cracking stuff.

The Death Sentence team are on tour from today to promote the book, as follows:

Oh – and if you missed them first time around, look out for the Iron Man Trade Paperback Volume 5 Rings of Mandarin, which collects the issues featuring a certain re-invented Marvel UK character…

Don’t forget that despite many British publishers lack of faith in full-blown cover to cover comic strip action and humour, there are still comics on sale in newsagents that still delight in bringing you such subversive delights, including The Beano,Commando, Judge Dredd Megazine, Panini’s superhero titles and VIZ, with great strips also featuring in titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Doctor Who Adventures, Titan’s Doctor Who Comic (collecting their strips from the US format titles) Mega, TOXIC and many others.

The Hachette Judge DreddCollection is also on sale now, but you may now have to subscribe if you want to continue buying it as Part Works are not distributed in newsagents after their first few issues.

Plus, the wonderful Phoenix Comic is on sale in all Waitrose supermarkets as well as available on subscription and through its dedicated iPad app.

British Publishers

2000AD

Mega-City One, 2137 AD. Home to 50 million citizens, and still recovering from the decimation of the Chaos Bug, this urban hell is situated along the east coast of post- apocalyptic North America, where crime is rampant, poverty is rife, and unemployment near universal. Tensions run a constant knife-edge and only the zero-tolerance Judges — empowered to dispense instant justice — can stop total anarchy. Toughest of them all is JUDGE DREDD — he is the Law! In the wake of Chaos, Judges from other Justice Departments have bolstered the ranks, including Fintan Joyce from Emerald Isle…

ABSALOM: UNDER A FALSE FLAG By Gordon Rennie (Writer) and Tiernen Trevallion (Art).

UK, 2015. Inspector Harry ABSALOM is an old-school copper — curmudgeonly anti- authoritarian, he’s been with the force for over forty years. Suffering from an inoperable cancer, he’s also the head of a special squad that enforces The Accord, a diplomatic treaty made in the sixteenth century between the throne of England and the powers of Hell, which means his team are responsible for tracking down and taking to task those demonic entities that break that agreement. But his superiors have a hold over Absalom to keep him in line, hiding his grandchildren in a notorious place known as The Mills…

SLÁINE: PRIMORDIAL By Pat Mills (Script) and Simon Davis (Art)
Albion, in a time of legend. Celtic warrior SLÁINE united the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu and became the first High King of Ireland. After ruling for seven years, he travelled through time to fight for the Goddess in other eras before returning to save his people from the Fomorian sea devils. Now, having journeyed to the Isle of Monadh to rescue Sinead from the Drune Lords, he’s being hunted by Trojan soldiers, who are led by his old friend Gort. The Drunes are experimenting on producing a highly powerful warrior of their own, called the Primordial, that will bring order to Albion…

HELIUM: PART ONE by Ian Edginton & D’Israeli

NEW THRILL! The far future. It has been over three hundred years since the Great War ended, but there were no victors. Eighty-five per cent of the Earth’s surface now lies beneath a vast gaseous ocean known as the Poison Belt — a toxic, mutated cocktail of biological and chemical weapons designed by both sides to win the war. Instead, it almost spelt extinction for the human race. Those that survived cling to the High Lands — alpine valleys and mountaintop islands, safe from the noxious fog, and ply the clean air in ships of all description. Meanwhile, beneath the Belt, rumours of life abound…

With reality fraying at the seams, Ichabod Azrael and his companions, aloft in a B-52, are chased by The Hunter out of the Second World War and into a battle with terrifying creatures of the deep. The victor holds not just their lives, but the future of existence itself in the balance.

Perps beware, as Dredd takes to the mean streets of the Big Meg once more to tackle the city’s most dangerous offenders. The tenth book in this bestselling series brings together some of the very best in Thrill-power, including such stories as “The Art of Kenny Who?” “The Fists of Stan Lee,” and “The Taxidermist.” Featuring the writing of Alan Grant and John Wagner and the work of such classic artists as Steve Dillon, Cam Kennedy, and Ian Gibson, this is the perfect collection for all discerning comic fans.

Titan Comics

After a break of 20 years, artist extraordinaire Jamie Hewlett (GORILLAZ) is leaping back on the​ ​Tank Girl wagon, re-teaming with series co-creator Alan Martin to bring you a whole new take on the foul-mouthed, gun toting, swill-swigging hellion!

Featuring riotous 100% original content from Hewlett & Martin along with contributions from a host of series stalwarts and newcomers, get your head down, put your hands over your private parts, and prepare for a chaotic collection of strips, pin-ups, and random carnage!

• Death Sentence: London continues the phenomenal critical and sales hit rampant with sex, drugs and superpowers!
• Making this perfect jumping-on point, awesome all-new rising star artist Martin Simmonds joins co-creator Montynero (X-Men Annual, Verigo CMYK) for a wild ride!
• Picks up right where the bestselling graphic novel left off – with London in ruins, psychic manipulator Monty ripped in half by failed musician Weasel – and rabbit-hatted invisible artist Verity missing, presumed dead!
• As England pulls itself back from the brink, new G-positive powers are popping up all over!
• As martial law and forced abstinence prey on the mind of the London Mayor, the American alphabet agencies are watching the London warzone with interest – and special agent Jeb Mulgrew might be next to be thrown into the fire!
• Gorgeously grimy fully-painted art by hand-picked creator Martin Simmonds!
• As timely and resonant as ever, and packed with all the creative swearing, outrageous use of powers and satirical social commentary you’ve come to love – Death Sentence is back to lay claim to your hindbrain and devastate your pull list!

The Fountains of Forever! Cindy and Gabby have a falling out after Gabby’s homecoming, as an ancient artifact from the center of the universe, a rogue Black Ops organization, and a secret auction conspire to cause galaxy-shattering chaos!

The first hardcover collection of the twelfth Doctor series! On the terraformed ice planet of Isen IV, the Doctor and Clara discover a monstrous Hyperion has been awakened at the planet’s core. Can they halt the rampage of a living star, in the middle of the celebrity wedding of the century, before it escapes to conquer the galaxy? And when Clara and the Doctor land in India, a conspiracy hundreds of years in the making comes to light! The Thuggee cult of Kali is trying to resurrect one of the most deadly aliens yet known. Split across two time zones, our heroes must stop Kali’s return at all costs!

DC Comics

Collecting the first 21 issues of Warren Ellis’s dystopian masterpiece! After years of self-imposed exile, cynical journalist Spider Jerusalem is forced to return to a job that he hates and a city that he loathes. Working as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word, Spider attacks the injustices of his surreal 21st century surroundings.

The eight-issue miniseries is collected in one volume! Vertigo brings you a mystery with four detectives, four time periods, and four dead bodies – all set in London. Edmond Hillinghead is an 1890s overachiever who’s trying to solve a murder no one cares about while hiding his own secret. Karl Whiteman is our dashing 1940s adventurer with a shocking past. Shahara Hasan is 2014’s kickass female Detective Sergeant, who walks the line between religion and power. And Maplewood, an amnesiac from post-apocalyptic 2050, brings a haunting perspective to it all.

Fables: The Wolf Among Us #6 (Mature Readers)
Writer: Matthew Sturges, Dave Justus Artist: Shawn McManus & Various Cover Artist: Chrissie Zullo
No matter where Bigby goes – from the forests outside 17th-century Salem to the seedy clubs on the Crooked Mile – he’s surrounded by topless dancing women. It sounds like a fun job, until you remember he’s also got a decapitated hooker on his hands. Blackmail, black magic, black market glamours, and a little black book all take their turn on the main stage in our sleaziest, uneasiest issue yet!

FBP Federal Bureau Of Physics #21 (Mature Readers)
Writer: Simon Oliver Artist: Alberto Ponticelli Cover Artist: Nathan Fox
Everyone is scrambling in different directions to save the universe – which is really complicated when you add the fourth, fifth and sixth dimensions to the map!

The greatest super heroes of all time, unseen since the end of the hit series HITMAN, have returned for the greatest super hero story ever told!
Befuddled hero Sixpack returns to Gotham City, desperate to rebuild the all-star team known as Section Eight in the face of a deadly threat. He gathers old friends Bueno Excellente, Baytor and the seemingly reborn Dogwelder, along with some new faces – but he still needs that elusive eighth member. And that’s when the Dark Knight Detective gets an offer he can’t refuse in part one of this unforgettable six-issue miniseries.

Image Comics

MINISERIES CONCLUSION! Captured by enemies and robbed of their ability to time travel, Danny and Quinn have created the biggest mess the space-time continuum has ever seen. Now, it’s up to them to defeat the bad guys, fix past wrongs, and escape the wrath of their bosses! The finale to this sci-fi buddy adventure features MORE breathtaking Sean Murphy art-with MORE soldiers, MORE dinosaurs, and a conclusion to leave you clamoring for a sequel!

INJECTION is the new ongoing series created by the acclaimed creative team of MOON KNIGHT.

In this issue: the five members of the Cross-Cultural Contamination Unit came from very different backgrounds. Simeon Winters, for instance, came from a department of the British Foreign Office. The one that kills foreign people. Also this issue: sandwiches.

Marvel Comics

• In the altered realms of BATTLEWORLD, Angela and Sera are WITCH HUNTERS, the scourges of King James’ England, 1602.
• In a land beset by magic and monstrosity, they seek a new and seductive evil-not witchbreed, but deal-making FAUSTIANS, who bargain with ancient creatures for unnatural power!
• Moral ambiguity? Fancy allusions? Marguerite making the most of that English degree?
• tl;dr – try 1602 WITCH HUNTER ANGELA #1!
Rated T+

• In Earth’s final hours, the Mighty Avengers come together one last time…
• …but in the face of the end of everything, what help can they give?
• Guest-starring the latest and perhaps the greatest Mighty Avenger – YOU!
Rated T+

Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn’s hilarious, nonstop reinvention of the Merc With a Mouth continues! First, it’s a lost adventure from the groovy seventies as Deadpool hits the streets with Power Man and Iron Fist! Then, when Deadpool’s Weapon X past returns to haunt him, he recruits fellow Weapon Plus “alumni” Wolverine and Captain America! The reluctant team learns that Deadpool’s past has been weaponized, but can they unite to take down this new threat? And when S.H.I.E.L.D. stiffs Deadpool on a bill, he declares a one-man war on the agency and faces down Agent Phil Coulson on the Helicarrier! Plus: Take another trip back to the past as the Deadpool wreaks havoc on a cosmic level! Collecting DEADPOOL (2012) #13-25.
Parental Advisory

Malekith the Accursed, lord of the Dark Elves, has a problem with Iron Man. Then again, Malekith the Accursed has a problem with pretty much everyone on Earth. And when Malekith the Accursed strikes, blood will flow and darkness will fall – unless Iron Man can gain the upper hand! It’s cutting-edge mortal science vs. the most arcane Asgardian science imaginable – all in a bath of blood. Plus: Which classic Marvel UK character returns in a reinvented form after the events of Revolutionary War? And how do the Mandarin’s rings factor into this crisis? Iron Man vows to get to the bottom of things – assuming he lives! Collecting IRON MAN (2012) #23-28.

• Elsa Bloodstone is stationed on the Shield, burdened with the Sisyphean task of keeping the zombie hordes from rampaging through Battleworld.
• In those moments where she’s not enrapt in the throes of battle, she meditates on her deceased father…how everything he taught her gave her the means to fight the zombies, but all the love he didn’t give her is what motivated the self-destructive actions that landed her on the Wall in the first place.
• But when she sees a human child caught in the middle of the zombieverse, she’ll muster every ounce of determination she has to throw herself into the zombie horde to rescue the girl.
• And once Elsa finds her, she’s going to have to fight her way back out…
Rated T+

• Secret Wars continues as The Avengers of the Year 2099 come face to face with a tremendous beast who’s no stranger to the team!
• Who could it be? We’ll give you a hint – you won’t like him when he’s angry.
Rated T

What’s to Love: Our long tradition of breaking new talent — like Rafael Albuquerque (The Savage Brothers, American Vampire), Emma Rios (Hexed, Pretty Deadly), and Declan Shalvey (28 Days Later, Moon Knight) — continues with the debut of Alex Paknadel and Eric Scott Pfeiffer, two new creators whose extensive world-building in the sci-fi thriller Arcadia evokes comparisons to epics like Game of Thrones, The Matrix and Astro City.

What It Is: When 99% of humankind is wiped out by a pandemic, four billion people are “saved” by being digitized at the brink of death and uploaded into Arcadia, a utopian simulation in the cloud. But when Arcadia begins to rapidly deplete the energy resources upon which the handful of survivors in the real world (aka “The Meat”) depends, how long will The Meat be able — and willing — to help? Featuring the first of five connecting covers by Matt Taylor.

Future Taylor discovers the shocking truth about the Crossed infection and their evolution. The impossible has occurred and the future holds an ominous and seemingly unstoppable horror from taking root. Alan Moore, the man who revolutionized the comics medium, returns to monthly comics and puts his unique stamp upon the Crossed universe, as he and artist Gabriel Andrade paint a vivid picture of the future 100 years after the outbreak! This multi-layered story delivers a new brand of horror to Crossed fans at the hands of the scribe that redefined the comics medium. All the covers for the series have been planned out by Alan Moore, with the images enriching and expanding on the series. Clues and glimpses of what came before, and what might be, are found throughout the variant covers. Available with Regular, American History X Wraparound, Crossed Culture, Future Tense, as well as Retailer Incentive covers of Red Crossed and Design Sketch. Also, the New World Order Wraparound (Bagged for your safety). Due to all these special protective measures this edition is strictly limited to initial orders. Don’t miss out on the ultra-rare CGC Numbered Edition as well!

With the realization that the Nazis have pulled far ahead of the Allies in development Ubers, hope starts to fade and some greater gambles are taken in hopes of turning the tide. Desperation is the currency of the hour with no end in sight to the horrors of enhanced human warfare. Kieron Gillen, Daniel Gete, and Caanan White spin a new chapter of fear and genocide in the pages of the most devastating war coming being published. And the origin and first missions of Sieglinde and the German Battleships are declassified and illustrated by Gabriel Andrade! The German war machine has been developing the most powerful weapons ever fashioned. Their Battleship class Ubers are like living atom bombs annihilating every obstacle in their paths. But they were once humans, and it takes more than power to make a monster, so what could have forged such cold, murderous beasts? The past is revealed as we see the genesis of the German Battleships in this groundbreaking alternate history war story! This volume collects issues #18 – 22 of the ongoing Über comic book series and the Uber 2014 Special.

Published by

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, John describes himself as is a "freelance comics operative", working as an editor, as Creative Consultant on the Dan Dare audio adventures for B7 Media, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival.
John has worked in British comics publishing for over 30 years. His credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine at Marvel UK and Star Trek Magazine and Babylon 5 Magazine at Titan Magazines. He also edited STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics, including Team M.O.B.I.L.E. and The Beatles Story. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War and “Dan Dare” for Tian Books.
He’s the writer of “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz, published on Tapastic; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood for digital comic 100% Biodegradable.
View all posts by John Freeman